The love between a big brother and his little sister is the purest kind of love. This heartbreaking story about a brother’s love for his baby sister and his fight to keep her in his life shows what real love is all about.
Meagan and Laurence Collard lived in Western Australia with their two beautiful sons, Franklin and Caiden. But the couple wanted a girl to make their family whole.
When Meagan got pregnant and found out she was having a girl, it felt like their dream was finally coming true. The couple was thrilled, and so were their sons, Franklin and Cayden, who couldn’t wait to become big brothers to a baby girl.
As the baby’s due date got closer, the family went shopping for pink clothes and decorated a beautiful nursery. The couple named their daughter Piper Winifred when she was born.
Piper went home to a place where everyone loved her. Piper reached every normal baby milestone at the right time as she grew.
A change in direction occurred in May 2018.
After Piper started throwing up, her parents took her to see a gastroenterologist for further evaluation. However, when the nausea was accompanied by a fever, they went to see a general practitioner. Piper originally presented with symptoms of an ear infection, and she was prescribed antibiotics to address the condition.
The same thing happened again a month later. Meagan, on the other hand, was more terrified than usual because of something that she had learned.
Meagan was anxious after discovering a firm bump on Piper’s stomach. This time, when the mom took Piper to the hospital, the mom and the expert both agreed that Piper’s liver appeared to be bloated, and as a result, it was decided that Piper should have some blood work done.
Meagan was given a heads-up about the potential outcomes, including HIV, hepatitis, and cancer, as her daughter’s blood was being transported to the laboratory. Meagan was certain that it was not either of the two previous viruses because she had been tested and found to be free of both of them when she was pregnant with Piper.
Meagan felt a great deal of dread when she considered the third possibility.
Meagan’s worst dread was realized when the tests came back positive for neuroblastoma, which was Piper’s condition.
The type of cancer known as neuroblastoma is most frequently diagnosed in young children. It originates from immature nerve cells, which can be located in a number of different regions of the body. The cells that make up a person’s adrenal glands are the ones most likely to be the source of neuroblastoma.
Every year, the United States sees between 700 and 800 new cases of neuroblastoma diagnosed in children. In almost nine out of ten of these cases, the diagnosis is made before the kid reaches the age of five.
And in this instance, Piper, who was 11 months old when the diagnosis was made, was in stage four. The cancer began in her adrenal glands and has progressed to other parts of her body, including her liver, lymph nodes, belly, chest cavity, and ovaries.
The family made the decision to begin chemotherapy right away. Piper appeared to be progressing in her recovery after undergoing five rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery that included a stem cell transplant, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.
But after that, she started to weaken gradually
When Piper was finally able to go home on June 17th, her parents were aware that she was in her latter stages of life, and they had a difficult time conveying to their two sons the impact of this event.
Cayden, their youngest son, was skeptical as they tried to convince him and his brother that Piper would soon be joining them in paradise as an angel. In order to assist his cherished little sister, the young boy of five years old demanded that they get a different physician or perhaps create a new recipe for soup. Meagan explained that eventually, the brother came to the realization that there was nothing that could be done about the situation.
On June 20th, when Piper woke up, she had a strange expression.
The little girl was hungry and enjoying herself while playing with her cherished older brothers. But just as quickly as things appeared to be going well, a change for the worse occurred. Meagan was compelled to immediately call the home nurse when Piper began vomiting blood that evening.
Once the nurse got there, she told a doctor right away. The doctor saw Piper and told the nurse to give her pain medicine because there was nothing else they could do for the little girl but make her feel better.
When Laurence heard the news, he ran home and hugged his sweet daughter for the last time. Piper’s older brothers held and kissed their little sister one last time. At 9:14 p.m. that night, Piper Winifred took her last breath.
Meagan remembers the sad time with tears in her eyes. Cayden, who was only five years old, carried the coffin of his baby sister, whom he loved very much. As he said goodbye, he made sure to hold her one last time. No one had ever seen a relationship between a big brother and a little sister that was so clear or so sad to watch.
Piper Winifred’s sad death brought the family closer together. Meagan says that her family enjoys life more and makes sure to think of their little girl every chance they get.